The Dolphins will have a new kicker for the final two weeks of the season.

They announced Friday that Dan Carpenter has been placed on injured reserve with a groin injury and that they have signed former Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding to replace him. Carpenter made 21-of-29 field goals for the Dolphins this season, the third year of a four-year deal he signed with the team in 2010.

It’s the second straight year that Carpenter has dealt with a groin injury, although there wasn’t a big drop in his production from past years as a result of the injury. His 81.5 percent conversion rate on field goals this season is right on track with his career mark of 81.9 percent and there wasn’t a significant difference in his work on kickoffs either.

Kaeding was released by the Chargers earlier this season after suffering a groin injury. He made all seven of his field goal attempts in the three games he played before getting the boot and has made 87 percent of his kicks over the course of his career. He’s been shakier in the postseason, but that’s not a major concern in Miami this season.

And the injuries keep rolling in. Wow, this sucks. Just when Carpenter was finding his rythm.

This could mean the end of the line for Dan Carpenter. His missed kicks earlier this season cost us games against the Jets and the Cards. Not to mention that his cap number next year is over $2 million. Caleb Sturgis of UF and Dustin Hopkins of FSU would be viable candidates to replace him.

I thought this was a band aid, but it could also be a tryout for Kaeding based on this:

Hawk Central wrote:

Kaeding said he’s worked out for several teams, including Carolina and San Francisco, and had interest from Chicago and Cincinnati, but didn’t see the long-term potential he did in Miami.

Miami’s current kicker, Dan Carpenter, is on injured reserve with a groin injury. He was 22-of-27 this season and is signed through 2013.

Kaeding, a Pro Bowl kicker who is the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history at 87 percent (180-of-207), was 7-of-7 in three games this season before his groin injury.

“He has demonstrated a record of success as a kicker in this league,” Miami coach Joe Philbin said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s a true professional, and I’m sure he’ll do a great job for us.”

Philbin was the offensive line coach at Iowa when Kaeding was an All-American kicker for the Hawkeyes. Kaeding said it was fun to see him, and also former Iowa offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe, now the Dolphins’ receiver coach.

“He had a hand in recruiting me at West High,” Kaeding said of O’Keefe. “Now we’re sitting on the same team in Miami. It’s funny how things work out sometimes.”